West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-09-02
cLEAR-cUT VIEWS.


tor OF the tariff proposed to raise
revenue for the Government by tax
ing FOREIGN products. His idea was
to supply the treasury by collecting
a tax on whatever came into this
country from abroad; his idea was,
to put tax on whatever crossed the
border-which tax would he paid
bv the American consumer. FOreX-
ample, trace. chain costs in canada
so cents; when it comes to the line
it must pay tax Of % cents; the
chain then sells for 10 cents. \
blanket costs 81 in France; before
it comes into the L. ;. it pays tax
of 80 cents; the blanket then sells
for $3.50 A suit Of clothes costs
in England $40; the tariff tax is SO;
the suit then sells for SIS. a bill
of goods in foreign countries costs
5000; the tariff taxes are 800; hence
the goods sell for $500.
The scheme was TO put tax on
foreign products so that the Ameri-
can consumer would pay taxes when
he paid the price charged by the
store keeper. The merchant pays
the tariff tax when his goods cross
the border but he gets the money
back VIXEN he sells the goods, because
he adds the tax to the price paid by
his customer. y merchant does
not object to paying this tax, because
he gets it back when he sells the
goods, and his customer does not OBJ
iect because he does not notice that
the price includes tax which he Is
paving to the L. 5. Government.
The original tariff was cunning
continuance whereby the Govern
ment would get money out Of the
pockets of the people without their
perceiving that they were being tax
ed, but the operation of the law was
precisely the same as if the store
keeper said,-"the price is DO cents,
but you must pay me back the %
cents tariff tax which l paid to the
L. :. when this trace-chain first
came into the country
The Government must have reye-
nue. and there are only two ways to
raise it; direct taxation is one way
and indirect taxation is the other
way. The State tax is direct taxa
ton; horse worth 800 pays 30
cents, and farm worth $4,000 pays
$50. The tax payer to the State
reads his tax schedule and knows ne
paws 80 cents on the 800 of value.
But the invention ca He'd a tariff, is
SO contrived that taxes are paid
when we buy foreign articles; the
tax being included in the price ask
ed by the merchant, we pay it indi-
rectly and do not observe at the time
that we are paying it.
1t is some satisfaction, however,
to feel that the tax we pay on a for
eign article goes into the public
treasury to be expended for the pur-
poses of government
The tariff as originally devised
was a scheme to raise revenue. 1t
was a cunning scheme Ito pluck the
geese without making them cry
Presently it occurred to some
smart American manufacturers that
ifthey could induce the Government
to shut foreign goods out of the home
market they could obtain higher
prices and make larger profits. The
home manufacturer of trace-chains
saw that lf foreign chains were eX-
cluded home made chains could be
sold at higher price; the blanket
manufacturers saw that il the Gov
emment shut out froeign blankets,
they could raise theprice;-and thus
it was all along the line There was
money in this idea, and where there
is money in an idea, ingenuity soon
invents plausible argument in its
favor.
1t would have excited rebellion
in every State of this Union for the
Government toeXclude foreign goods
for the purpose of enabling the home
manufacturer of such goods to eX-
tort higher prices from his custom
ers. The thing must be done indi-
rectlv and the tariff offered a conven
lent instrument. The manufacture
ers said:
Under the pretense ct raising revenue
let the tariff be fixed So high that for
eign goods will not come in; if q Canada
blanket worth 81 be taxed 80 cents, then